Growing up in a poor community. Pakhoke was a large work camp. The community raised the children. My mother did farm work. There was no violence. We were taught principles to work for what we want and … We were raised in the church. We love Pahokee, but now it’s sad to see what Pahokee has become as the jobs have moved out. There are broken families, not enough food to eat, not enough guidance for the younger generation. We need to work to enjoy life and earn what we get. There are few kids to have the opportunity to flourish now. I just moved back from Wellington. There is more structure there than here for the kids, especially those who need extra guidance. I would like to see a community center to help the kids with homework and keep the kids from getting into mischief. The kids are falling into traps looking for guidance and we are losing them to the streets and trouble. It’s sad. I could tell you lots of stories good and bad, butI would like to see Pahokee flourish again. It’s going to take more than what we got. Our government leaders are not cutting it. Outsiders come in to help but they are still leaving the community naked. We used to have our own police officers. They knew everyone and were able to deescalate conflict. Everyone respected them because they are our community members. Now the police come from WPB. They do not know us. Some are good, but some I do not trust. Here in Pahokee, we tend to take to people we trust. I hope Pahokee can bounce back.

Once when I was walking to school an early morning I immediately noticed that there was police cars swarming the school I later found out that the police were there because someone had gotten shot it was especially a traumatic experience for me because i simply was never introduced to violence such as so

Anybody that know my family, know we come from a very religious family. I didn’t understand any of it until I was shot and almost killed by my best friend over a fight about money. We were both living illegally so the police didn’t take us seriously. We both had been in and out of jail but when I almost died I found God for myself, now I live a good life

My House was shot at

More and more Americans who struggle to get by are living in these marginalized, disinvested communities where jobs and educational opportunities are scarce, and an increasingly militarized police force is the primary contact residents have with government.

Well boynton wasn’t the same in 1967 there were street gangs street violence drug lords and kids dying